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Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Make Believe

  • 8 June 2022
  • and more

a flower

that is not

a flower

but

is a flower…

IS

of course a flower.

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Dew-Drop Crystals
Dew-Drop Crystals

I created the Tutorial for how I add these crystals to my floral designs 11 years ago! Since then I have tried, tested and searched for the perfect crystals that would go from studio‑table picture perfect to show‑day‑dependable and I always come back to these. They remain the absolute best. They’re inexpensive yet have a refined, high‑quality crystal brilliance; they don’t tarnish and their adhesive backing stays reliably tacky even after they were exposed to water.
Tutorials
Eucalyptus leaf and twig blossoms in a radiating puddle of stems
8 June 2022
Eucalyptus leaf and twig blossoms in a radiating puddle of stems

Just look at that puddle! This design is all about the fresh eucalyptus... but in a cooling down for summer kind of way.
Eucalyptus rose
30 December 2015
Eucalyptus rose

Release the soothing effect of the aroma and vapors from the Eucalyptus leaves my slightly crushing it while making roses
Securing a kenzan
7 January 2015
Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.
Paper flowers
28 February 2011
Paper flowers

You can use any type of paper to make flowers. I use tissue paper, Crêpe paper, cardboard, newsprint and coffee filters (new and used) to make sweet peas, carnations, paper roses, blossoms, lilies, poppies and orchids.
Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms
26 August 2015
Skeleton Hydrangea Petal Blossoms

Use the skeleton petals of hydrangeas to create blossoms
Autumn leaf Roses
6 September 2011
Autumn leaf Roses

I used to make baskets full of these when I was a little girl. We had a big Acasia thorn tree and I used to spear my “roses” onto the tree pretending I was the fairy responsible for bringing blossoms.
Stack banana leaf rice pockets to float as rosettes
4 September 2019
Stack banana leaf rice pockets to float as rosettes

Fold and peg banana leaves into pockets so that they float freely on water. This is inspired by a traditional banana leaf craft used to cook rice in.
Kenzan leaf rack
15 November 2017
Kenzan leaf rack

Line and position pretty autumn leaves.
Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design
12 June 2019
Loop-over grass veil for a cool summer design

A cool and minimal floral design for summer.
Where to cut Gladiolus spikes shorter
7 August 2019
Where to cut Gladiolus spikes shorter

Gladiolus stems can be cut into sections so that it appears natural and well groomed.
A Three level Kenzan skewer stack to Radiate Gladiolus spikes flat in a shallow container
7 August 2019
A Three level Kenzan skewer stack to Radiate Gladiolus spikes flat in a shallow container

Build up a design in a shallow container by stacking it by threading the plant material into the teeth of a pin cushion in three levels.
Use a drinking straw to push foliage horizontally deep into a Kenzan to leave space for stems to rest on top of them
7 August 2019
Use a drinking straw to push foliage horizontally deep into a Kenzan to leave space for stems to rest on top of them

The teeth of a Kenzan (or pin cushion) is rather sharp. Here is a pain free way of pushing down the plant material into the teeth to keep it securely in place.
A radiating, gradient carnation design in a shallow container
12 May 2021
A radiating, gradient carnation design in a shallow container

A bit of Kenzan support for a floating shallow container design
Give a single upright bleeding heart flower a view through a leafy hole
25 May 2022
Give a single upright bleeding heart flower a view through a leafy hole

Flair open a leathery leaf to craft a frame a single bleeding heart flower on its long stem.
Foliage that sits under water (gasp, right!?!) to create a frilly design gap in bud vases
15 July 2026
Foliage that sits under water (gasp, right!?!) to create a frilly design gap in bud vases

A ruffled blossom rosette from delicate chocolate mint coleus becomes a flower frog for long stem chocolate cosmos buds.
A summery way for tiny flowers to glow inside a hydrangea composite fan
16 July 2025
A summery way for tiny flowers to glow inside a hydrangea composite fan

Fan out a rose shaped hydrangea leaf composite to create a waste free floral frog.
Flatten a Spring for a disk grid
5 March 2025
Flatten a Spring for a disk grid

Aluminum wire grid to support the stems and flowers above the water.
Design a buildable corsage that can be taken apart and added back together again to give you more styling options without damaging your design.
6 November 2024
Design a buildable corsage that can be taken apart and added back together again to give you more styling options without damaging your design.

Easy assemble… and disassemble design details using a Wristix™ corsage magnet from BoutStix™
Ivy and tendril blooms
4 September 2024
Ivy and tendril blooms

Wrap ivy leaves around a passionflower vine tendril to craft a flower
Dried Bougainvillaea and pink Pepper berry Disk
4 September 2024
Dried Bougainvillaea and pink Pepper berry Disk

Pink just before autumn, autumn design to celebrate the richness in colour.
Radiating bunny tails
30 August 2023
Radiating bunny tails

Spear bunny tail grasses into a Kenzan to create a cozy space to display apricot lemonade cosmos flowers.
Craft a padded wooden Dowel to position a leaf cone into the sharp teeth of a Kenzan
10 May 2023
Craft a padded wooden Dowel to position a leaf cone into the sharp teeth of a Kenzan

Prevent a leaf from ripping or bruising when positioning it in your design.
Breezy lily grass ripple
20 July 2022
Breezy lily grass ripple

A radiating design that has the freedom of movement to add a bit of a cooling effect on the warmer days of summer.
Related Designs
Bent
26 August 2015
Bent

Weave a wreath from sweetpea stems and tendrils
Achoo! Season
30 December 2015
Achoo! Season

Fold and roll a rose from Eucalyptus leaves
Gently down the stream
4 September 2019
Gently down the stream

A mindful summer craft using banana leaves to create a floating arrangement.
Alchemy
15 November 2017
Alchemy

Gently stand leaves upright in a Kenzan
Almost... all over!
12 June 2019
Almost... all over!

Loop a grass veil over a lily stem to create a minimalist summer design.
Snail Away
18 February 2015
Snail Away

Spiral roll a snail to add to this sunny design
Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!
7 August 2019
Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!

Cut stems of Gladiolus to place in a radiating summer design.
It’s up there
12 May 2021
It’s up there

Whether it’s a solid foot for floating flowers, the tips of new growth or the curve of a dried twig your design needs help to stay upright.
Grateful Heart
25 May 2022
Grateful Heart

Frame a single perfect Bleeding heart flower in a leaf dot.
Hey look… it totally worked!
15 July 2026
Hey look… it totally worked!

Create tiny gaps to keep tall floral details upright.
The way I see it
16 July 2025
The way I see it

A hydrangea foliage composite fan for displaying tiny summer flowers
Around about Springtime
5 March 2025
Around about Springtime

Spiral cyclamen foliage around to create a composite flower to showcase the petal-like anthurium flowers.
Some Handmade Meaning
6 November 2024
Some Handmade Meaning

I am a huge (HUGE!) fan of the original BoutStix magnets and I love the newest wrist corsage magnets as well. And not just for making corsages. I use them for everything. It is a staple in my design bag and it is ideal for putting up Seasonal decorations. They open up so many creative design possibilities and now with the addition of a strap and Velcro… the possibilities are endless!
A shade around there, probably… maybe
4 September 2024
A shade around there, probably… maybe

A dried flower and foliage... flower... disk to help me pretend it is autumn
Courage, now
30 August 2023
Courage, now

A bit of a rethink as the season is getting ready to change. How can I give my design idea a fresh twist?
By the cone full
10 May 2023
By the cone full

A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...
The tiniest drop
20 July 2022
The tiniest drop

A radiating summer design that waves in the slightest of breezes.